Monthly Archives: September 2017

On Thursday, September 28, from 11:00am - 12:15pm, Jerell Blakeley, campaign organizer for Healthy Schools Now, will chair a panel titled ‘Healthy Schools Now: What You Can Learn From the Battle at Trenton High’ at the NJ Black Issues Convention’s “Still We Rise: Moving NJ’s Black Agenda Forward” conference being at the Masonic Temple in Trenton, New Jersey.  The panel will explore the intense struggle to replace the unsafe and unhealthy Trenton Central High School with a new state-of-the-art school facility and provide strategies for other communities interested in replacing dangerous school facilities.  Panelists will include former Trenton Board of Education President Dr. Diane Campbell, Trenton Education Association President Naomi Johnson-Lafleur, and New Jersey Assemblyman Reed Gusciora.  If you are interested in attending, please use this link to register.

The Healthy Schools Now Student Leadership Academy will provide an opportunity for students to receive training in civic engagement and to develop leadership skills. The focus will be to equip students to be advocates for school facility quality, but the lessons will be transferable, so that participants will be better equipped to advocate on social, economic, and environmental justice issues in the future. Breakfast and lunch will be provided for each session. Transportation costs will be reimbursable. Using the subject of healthy and safe school facilities as the general theme, over the course of one year, we will provide eight trainings on topics as diverse as public health, healthy and safety training, effective advocacy, communications and media training. We are looking for students from the pilot districts who are interested in a unique leadership development opportunity. We want to transform students into exceptional leaders empowered to create solutions for healthier communities. Deadline to apply is Friday, September 22! Apply Today! Healthy Schools Now

As we approach the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, we belong to an unlucky club of communities that have the unique perspective of knowing the devastation and horror that our Texas and Louisiana friends and family are experiencing right now from Hurricane Harvey. Unfortunately, membership in the club is growing and we expect it to continue growing at an alarming rate as climate change leads to more frequent, more powerful storms. The Huffington Post poignantly captured what’s it’s like to live through a flood event in this excellent piece by Julia Craven where she interviewed people who experienced the horror firsthand. As volunteers with big hearts pour into Houston and the surrounding area to help, it’s important that they also take precautions to protect themselves from numerous hazards. There are unknown hazards present in floodwaters from chemicals, sewage, unknown submerged items, and floating balls of fire ants. Think for a moment the chemicals you store in your home. For example, under your sink you may have ammonia-based cleaner like Windex, or bleach wipes you use to wipe down your counters, and liquid bleach to use in your wash. In your garage, you may have motor oil waste, opened paints and [...]